A Day at the Farm Apple Picking

During this time of year, I love going out to the farm to pick apples right from the trees, and buy pumpkins to decorate my home.  I had called my sister in South Carolina and asked her to find out where we can go apple picking in her area.

We decided to head to South Carolina for the weekend in search of apples and pumpkins.  We ended up in York, SC, at Windy Hill Orchards.  This is the same area where I had gone peach picking a couple of months ago.

We were really excited to spend a day with the family.  I love this time of the year, and this was the perfect thing to do on the day before Fall season began.

As we enter the first thing I noticed was this scarecrow..it looked a little drunk.  You can make your own scarecrow and take it with you for $10.00. 

Trip to Puerto Rico

Last September my sister Gracie was having a birthday.  Since I had been to her Island of Dominican Republic the prior year, I told her why not celebrate her birthday in my Island of Puerto Rico.  Our other friend Sonja and her husband decided they wanted to go too, and so the planning for the trip began.

I wanted this trip to be the best trip ever, and so I started to do my research on what to do and where to go.  I had lived in Puerto Rico when I was a little girl, and I've been to the island a few times, but had never visited the historical places.   First, we booked the flights two months ahead.  Then we started searching for a great hotel at a reasonable price.  Since my husband and I had stayed at El Conquistador, I mentioned it to my sister and she fell in love with it.  El Conquistador is located on a cliff overlooking the ocean in Fajardo.

This hotel has so many thing to do..you really don't have to leave.  Our rooms were villas overlooking the ocean but we really didn't spent much time in the rooms. We had dinner at a couple of the restaurants at the hotel and did some shopping too.  We hung out at the bar a couple of times at night and made some new friends.  The employees there were great, they made us feel at home.

Did you know? Watermelon...

Did you know?

Watermelon is considered a fruit and a vegetable.
Watermelon is 92% water.
Watermelon is cousins to cucumbers, pumpkins and squash.
Watermelon by weight, are the most consumed melon in the United States followed by honeydew and cantaloupe.
About 200-300 varieties are grown in the United States.

Here is a drink you can make with watermelon.

Watermelon Pina Colada

2 cups watermelon puree
1/2 cup chunk pineapple
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
3 cups of ice
2 tbsp of cream of coconut-Coco Lopez
rum to taste

Mix all ingredients in a blender..Enjoy Makes 4 drinks

Hey Honey, Honey!!

I love honey in my tea and in desserts.  When I went to SC, my sister gave me a jar of honey from a local farm.  Honey is a sweet food made by bees from the nectar in flowers.  In addition to being a great natural sweetener, honey has a multitude of benefits that many people don’t know about.  Have you ever had an unrelenting sore throat? Honey has been proven to be a natural throat soother!

 

1. Prevent cancer and heart disease:
Honey contains flavonoids, antioxidants which help reduce the risk of some cancers and heart disease.
2. Reduce ulcers and other gastrointestinal disorders.
Recent research shows that honey treatment may help disorders such as ulcers and bacterial gastroenteritis. This may be related to the 3rd benefit…
3. Anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-fungal:
“All honey is antibacterial, because the bees add an enzyme that makes hydrogen peroxide,” said Peter Molan, director of the Honey Research Unit at the University of Waikato in New Zealand.
4. Increase athletic performance.
Ancient Olympic athletes would eat honey and dried figs to enhance their performance. This has now been verified with modern studies, showing that it is superior in maintaining glycogen levels and improving recovery time than other sweeteners.
5. Reduce cough and throat irritation:
Honey helps with coughs, particularly buckwheat honey. In a study of 110 children, a single dose of buckwheat honey was just as effective as a single dose of dextromethorphan in relieving nocturnal cough and allowing proper sleep.  By Diane Herrington Care2

 Discover the versatility of honey…

Sweetener: Honey is slightly sweeter than sugar, so less can be used to achieve the same sweetness intensity.
Flavor: Honey enhances the flavor profiles of other ingredients used in a recipe.
Emulsifier: Honey acts as a binder and thickener for sauces, dressings, marinades and dips.
Humectant: Honey provides and retains moisture to a variety of dishes and can even extend the shelf life of baked goods.

Next time you are coming down with a cold make some tea, add some lemon juice and a couple of spoons of honey.  When baking a cake, pie or even some cookies add some honey.

Tip for Smelly Onion or Garlic Hands.

People that come to my house usually ask me "Johanna what is this for?"  and when I tell them they are usually surprised.  Well, this is a Steel Soap and is used to get rid off the smells of onions and garlic from your hands.  When you chop onions or garlic the smell stays on your hands all day. Stainless Steel gets rid of the smell by running your hands under water with the steel soap, washing your hands like you would with a real soap.  Not sure why this works, but it does. So the next time you have smelly hands grab a spoon and try this, you are going to be amazed.

Herbs

Get to know your Basil, Rosemary, Flat Parsley, Curly Parsley and Cilantro.  I decided to plant an herb box because I love cooking with fresh herbs.  I went out to my local home depot and purchased a medium size barrel planter big enough for my herbs.


Basil is commonly used fresh in cooked recipes usually at the last minute to maintain flavor.  Basil is one of the main ingredients in Pesto.

Rosemary can be used fresh or dried. It has a strong flavor so a little bit goes a long way.  Use sprigs for roasting, grilling or barbecuing meats.

Flat Leaf Parsley  (Italian) with flat leaves.  In general, flat-leaf parsley has a more robust flavor, while the Curly Leaf Parsley variety is associated with decoration.  Parsley is one of the main in ingredients in Chimichurri a South American condiment like pesto, that is made with parsley, garlic, oil and vinegar, which is terrific with steak.

Cilantro (coriander) leaves has been used in preparation of many popular dishes in Asian and east European cuisine since ancient times. When added in combination with other household herbs and spices, it enhances flavor and taste of vegetable, chicken, fish and meat dishes.

This is my herb garden.